Why WOOD?
People might think that wooden boats require lots of maintenance and are prone to leaking. In the past, they would have been right, but since the Fifties, new technology has been developed to overcome these issues.

‘Wood strip’, ‘strip built’ or ‘wood core’ all refer to the same technique of building a boat. Thin strips of wood are glued together on temporary templates. The strips are covered on the inside as well as on the outside with glass fiber cloth saturated with several layers of epoxy resin. Each strip is completely enclosed with epoxy making it imperious to both oxygen and moisture. Decay of the wood stands no chance. This type of construction, stronger and lighter than conventional methods, requires no framing. As a result, the entire inside of the boat is smooth and easy to maintain.

Combined with epoxy, wood is one of the best construction materials for light weight boats. Wood and epoxy are widely used nowadays for building boats. Besides kayaks and canoes, they are used in the construction of rowing skiffs, sailing boats, speed boats and mega yachts.

 

glass-
fiberl-
cloth and epoxy>

   This building method guaranties a highly durable and self supporting construction. It also guarantees a very light construction. An identical polyester boat weighs considerabely more! Even the life of wood/epoxy boats is superior to its synthetic colleagues. The boats last longer than a lifetime and are considered heirlooms.

The applied epoxy remains crystal-clear, meaning the color and structure of the wood remain visible. An important motive for buying a wood/epoxy boat is the natural beauty of the wood apparent on the inside as well as on the outside of the hull. The building process has the added advantage of being environmentally friendly. Epoxy is solvent free and its use does no harm to the environment.

Maintenance of your kayak or canoe is easy. Every few years the boat should be lightly sanded and finished with a new layer of varnish. In a matter of a few hours, your boat is like new. In addition, damage to your boat is not difficult to repair.